bridge to the maze. mass transit is on time. that's your traffic. back to you. >> see you next week. thank you for watching. caption colorado comments@captioncolorado.com good morning. one week after the devastating quake and tsunami that ravaged japan, smoke continues to pour from a crippled nuclear power plant as the government there raises the level of danger. the first american evacuees have been flown out of japan as president obama urges west coast residents not to worry about a radiation plume that is just reaching the u.s. also this morning, another major story unfolding in libya where the gadhafi government announced a cease-fire against rebel forces that is after the u.n. approved a no-fly zone over libya setting the stage for a possible military showdown. we have the latest for you from libya and japan "early" this friday morning, march 18th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs

good morning on a friday. i'm erica hill. >> i'm chris wragge. we bring you a live west coast update of "the early show." following two major stories this morning. >> one really developing over the last hour or two. we are learning that libya has declared an immediate cease-fire. promising to stop military operation. this comes on the heels of the u.n. approval of a no-fly zone. the latest on the situation ahid. the latest on the japan disaster. danger level raised at that crippled nuclear plant in fukushima. the u.n. atomic energy chief says plant workers are, quote, racing against the clock to prevent a catastrophe.

they paused for a moment of silence one week when the earthquake hit last week. >> an indication of the enormity of this nuclear crisis is that just a week ago, the whole world was focused on the earthquake and the tsunami. now that has been completely overshadowed by the event at this fukushima nuclear plant that japanese engineers and american engineers are working feverishly to revolve. >> reporter: white smoke poured from reactor number two today at the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant. officials here are not sure why. it is one of four reactors at the facility that has suffered explosions or fires in the wake of last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami. workers are racing to connect a power cable in the hopes of restarting the cool system at the plant and averting a larger nuclear disaster. without pumps circulating cool water, the extremely hot spent fuel rods become exposed to the air and then release deadly

radiation. even if power is restored, officials say there is no guarantee the cooling system will work again. while the system is down, japanese officials have turned to what seem almost desperate measures. chinook helicopters flew over the reactor. require sharing expertise and equipment and technology so that the courageous responders on the scene have the benefit of american team work and support. >> reporter: the u.s. has called for americans to evacuate in an area within a 50-mile radius of the nuclear plant. the first evacuees began

arriving in taiwan early friday morning. >> i wouldn't be here, i guess. >> reporter: the nuclear crisis has dominated the world's attention as rescue and recovery efforts from the quake itself continue. on thursday, the british newspaper the guardian reported that japanese milt had discovered 128 elderly people abandoned at a hospital near the nuclear plant. they also reported finding 11 people dead at a nursing home. overall the death toll stands at 6,400 and more than 10,000 still missing. with so many people still missing, the final death toll is expected to rise as high as 15,000. erica? >> bill whitaker, thanks. joining us in the studio is university of georgia professor cham dallas. good to have you with us. we have been talking about this, it's a week now. when you look at the situation

and they are trying so desperately every day with what we're keeping told is a new last-ditch evident, how much longer can these efforts last? >> these people are in under a lot of pressure, particularly the ones in the control room. the 50 people that we have been talking about so much. they are going to keep going. i mean, you would think they would get worn out, but they are still rolling. >> is there an end game? what are they going towards? >> well, the end game for us is to keep those reactor cores covers. the next several days in particular. now especially might get power back in there and that will help a lot but those spent fuel rods and that mysterious pool there in unit four is the one to keep an eye on because we really don't know what is going on there. >> we don't know. conflicting reports about whether or not the water was gone and we know the water has to stay on them. but looking long term, how long do you have to stay in there and keep water on the spent fuel rods? is there a time when eventually the plant closes down safely?

>> you never relax on this one. not when you've had a derangement of the fuel rods to begin with. until they get the rods and get them out of there, okay, that's a process at some later time. but, right now, this doesn't go away. in fact, if there has been significant melting of those fuel rods and those pellets pile up in the bottom, ironically, putting water back in there won't save us, okay? there is other aspects to this. there is other issues coming up over the next week or two that they have to deal with. >> as much as this seems like a long-term process to get it somewhat under control this is only the se beginning? >> this is only the very beginning. this goes on. >> give me a time line. how long does it go on and what happens next? like you're saying the water won't work so long. chernobyl they dumped cry materials, right? is that an option? >> chernobyl was the dry nuclear sdasten and fukushima the west nuclear disaster. you don't want a fire like chernobyl that made it so bad.

what has held this down is the water. however, that water creates long-term problems. i remind you we're 25 years out from chernobyl and they are still messing with that thing. we're having to build another containment area over the top of the old one. some people i from the united nations are involved with that. >> what happens to the water then? you mentioned what can get into the water. the water they are using here, does it just evaporate? where does it go? >> i've done studies for 20 years in georgia about what happens when radioactive particles get into the water. the good news 99% of it goes down into the sediments and the water is a protective layer above you. but that is an eventual process. it's going to be interesting to see what happens in the ecosystem around that reactor area over the next decade. >> bottom line is there's still a lot of work ahead and not near the end. >> we're not near the and it could go some crazy way the next few days. >> hope it does not happen and continue to watch with you.

cham dallas, thanks. a plume of radiation from japan's stricken nuclear reactedors is expected to reach the u.s. later today. a computer model show the jet stream carrying those radioactive particles touching the aaleutian islands. >> we do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the west coast, hawaii, alaska, or u.s. territories in the pacific. >> joining us from the white house is daniel poneman, secretary of energy. can you say without a shadow of a doubt the plume poses no threat to the u.s. in any way, shape, or form? >> as you heard from the president and he is relying on his experts and more importantly on our intpt regulatory commission we expect no harmful levels of radiation to reach the

west coast, hawaii or alaska or any of the pacific territories. >> we say that with this initial plume but should the situation dunn to deteriorate in japan at this nuclear facility which it looks like it's doing on an hour-by-hour basis, does the increase then, does that level of concern then raise itself on the west coast at some point? >> well, chris, as you know, we are continuously monitoring the situation. we have monitors in the u.s., the epa. we have been sending flights over in japan to monitor the situation there. rest assured that as any new data comes in, we are going to be analyzing it. >> let me ask you what is going on in the airports around the the u.s. airports in chicago and dallas trace amounts of radiation found on some passengers. it is totally necessary to basically wand every passenger that steps off a plane from japan and does it pose any type of contamination risk? >> really, chris, as you well know, we have very clear guidelines. the nuclear regulatory commission has laid those down.

we have monitoring capabilities and the epa is running those. and i think beyond that, people simply should stay informed and keep in touch with the centers for disease control. in japan they should be paying attention to the embassy guidance into the consulate. >> i know reports from japan people not getting the information they feel they need from the government in this dire time here. does the administration feel the japanese government has been 100% forthcoming what all has gone on with this nuclear crisis? >> i think the first thing to remember first and foremost this developed in japan and the reactors are in japan and it's their responsibility. they are understandably focused on addressing the situation of the reactors. we have certainly been strongly supportive to everything we can support them in that effort and discussing the situation with them continuously from the beginning. >> what about our future commitment there? what are we willing to commit to help the situation? >> well, as you heard the president say yesterday, this is

a situation in which the american people in full with our military assets, been flying relief missions, u.s. aid sent assistance over there and done everything we can from the department of energy to provide the monitoring and management support we can and rest assured this is a close friend and strong ally and we will be there for japanese people as saw when the president visited the ambassador there yesterday. >> thank you. >> breaking news on the civil war in libya the gadhafi government announced a cease-fire today. that after the u.n. approved a no-fly zone over the country. mark phillips is in tripoli with the latest on this morning's announcement. good afternoon, mark. >> reporter: good afternoon. another death and canny response by moammar gadhafi who says he will respect the resolution and they have declared a cease-fire but what that actually means is

shrouded in the usual gadhafi haze. the first bomb to fall was this bombshell announcement by moammar ga dafys' foreign minister. the libyans don't like the u.n. resolution but they accept it and will stop their military advance. >> therefore, libya has decided an immediate cease-fire and the stoppage of aerial military operations. >> reporter: what this means is now the question. gadhafi's tanks are well within striking distance of the last rebel stronghold. the city of benghazi and within nato's cross-hairs. had they moved forward they would have been clear targets for nato air strikes. if they sit where they are the problem for nato becomes more complicated. the u.n. resolution talks of taking measures to protect the libyan population but is that population under threat if it isn't being attacked? today's apparent conciliation by gadhafi is in stark contrast to

his belligerence last night and called the u.n. no-fly zone madness and said if the world was going to go crazy, libya would go crazy, too. the libyans even say they are prepared to negotiate with the rebels, although it's difficult to see what they would talk about. the rebels have one major demand which is that gadhafi goes. there are still reports of some government shelling, particularly in the town of misrata which is a rebel pocket of resistance closer here to tripoli. and the british and french, whose planes would be involved in enforcing the no-fly zone say they are studying this libyan announcement and they will wait to see what happens on the ground. >> mark phillips, thanks. president obama is expected to talk about the libyan announcement later today. cbs news senior white house correspondent bill plante joins us now with more on the expected u.s. reaction. bill, good morning. what do we think we will hear from the president? >> reporter: good morning. the president is likely to express now that the u.n. has

acted it's important for libya to stand down but given the fact that gadhafi seems to be trying to call nato's bluff with his cease-fire, it means that he understands that the first action nato would likely take would be to send missiles probably from u.s. ships to crater the runways and take out his air defenses. if he can force all that, then that is something of a victory. but look for the president to talk about how this was a nato-led with arab nations decision. that the u.s. isn't out there first. but the president will repeat the demand that all hostile its must cease and all civilians have to be safe. >> bill, you bring up the point about what he will stress and one thing we have heard consistently from the administration. basically, that the u.s. is not going to take the lead here and should not. >> reporter: that's because the u.s. does not want to be seen interfering in the affairs of another arab nation unilaterally. particularly in light of what has gone on in iraq and

afghanistan and the perception that it controls the situation in the middle east. the idea of having this no-fly resolution come through nato and through the u.n. security council is built on the understanding that even arab nations are asking for this. so the u.s. does not stand out. no matter how many people die, the u.s. was determined not to move until there was a u.n. resolution. >> bill plante for us at the white house, thanks. now time to change gears a little. all of that great weather the west coast is known for has made its way to the middle of the country to the east coast. marysol castro is in central park here in new york city this morning with a check of the weather for us. good morning. >> nice and sunny! >> oh, absolutely. good morning to you. spring doesn't officially start until sunday but don't tell the folks in central park that. much of the country feeling spring-like temperatures throughout the weekend but we turn our focus to the national picture. we can show it to you in full

force. light precipitation in the great lakes area. but you can see up and down the east coast just beautiful high pressure. we turn over to the west coast. the

thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now back over to chris and erica. >> mary, thanks. >> vegas is humid and they still got us. >> we can still try. >> 72 in new york, unbelievable. ahead this hour one week into the disaster in japan a update on the search and rescue operations going on there and ask the american red cross in tokyo about the greatest challenges they are facing on the ground at this hour. in other news, we want to warn you about a danger party drug blamed for a deadly mass overdose in minnesota. we will get the scoop on the trug known as 2ce and what you need to know about it this is "the early show" on cbs. [ female announcer ] all you need for sensitive skin.

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homeless in japan. ahead we continue our disaster of the coverage in japan with a look at the human toll one week after that quake and check in with the red cross. >> talk to an official there about the challenges facing the organization and other organizations out there trying to do all they can to help when we come back on "the early show." >> announcer: this morgs of the "the early show" responsed benaryl. use only as directed. at relieving your worst symptoms and works when you need it most. benadryl®. you can't pause life.

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some tiny radioactive partis from japan have reached california. a diplomat who s access to good morning, 7:25. i'm frank mallicoat. time your news headlines. radioactivity has reached california. a diplomat who has accessed radiation information says the levels are far below those that would affect our health. local public health officials also say there is no threat to anyone's well-being. the district attorney's office will drop a dozen cases involving arrest by contra costa county's central narcotic task force. former commander of the task force facing felony drug charges. he is accused of conspiring with a former private investigatory sell stolen drug evidence. a federal judge says prosecutors cannot use 11 voicemail messages against barry bonds in the slugger's upcoming perjury trial. prosecutors argued the messages

showed bonds was suffering from steroid rage, but the judge said the messages were marginal at best. that trial starts monday here in san francisco. got your traffic and the weather coming up on a friday in just a moment. stay right there. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

chp issued wind advisories across the bay area including the so wet windy start to our morning commute. here's a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. metering lights lights are on for an hour. heavy rain and wind advisory for highway 17 as you make your way from the summit out towards 85. lawrence has weather. >> a lot of clouds around the bay area, still some scattered showers. it's been on and off throughout the morning. you see widely scattered here but look what's behind me. you have the bulk of the rain. the main cold front that's heading in our direction. that will continue to slide on through and bring with it some heavier amounts of rainfall through the latter part of the morning and the middle of the day. there will be gusty winds to go along with that. isolated thunderstorms, showers continuing into tomorrow. more heavy rain expected as we look towards sunday. showers likely into monday. ,,,,,,,,

♪ wow! you just missed a double fist pump by erica hill here on "the early show"! >> the sight of the sun made me go yes! >> yes! welcome back, everybody. i'm chris wragge along with the aforementioned erica hill and we are excited about the unofficial start to spring today. nice in 80% of the country which is a big bonus. >> hopeful you're in one of those areas. coming up a disturbing story out of minnesota opinion a mass overdose is designed on a designer drug. purchased illegally over the internet and mostly teenagers were hospitalized and one died after taking it. most of us have never heard of

2ce so dr. ashton will tell us what it is and what it can do. >> scary and how accessible it is and important news for parents this morning. first, here is jeff glor with other headlines we are following with you and starting off with japan. good morning. japan's nuclear safety agency this morning raised 9 sest level of the country's nuclear crisis to a five from a four on a scale of seven. the five is equal to the three mile island incident in this country in 1979. engineers trying to restore power to the cooling systems of two reactors today but it's unclear if the cooling systems work at all. a diplomat in vienna says radioactive fallout has reached southern california but first readings are, quote, about a billion times beneath levels that would be health threatening, they say. this morning libyan government says it's ending

it was one week ago that a massive earthquake, followed by a tsunami shadowed the coastline of northern japan. this morning the continued search and rescue operations are revealing how horrific a disaster this is. jeff glor is here with us with more details on this. >> as we have talked about a great deal of concern over the nuclear crisis in japan. but this earthquake and the ensuing tsunami have done far more than cripple a power plant. they destroyed tens of thousands of lives in japan creating an extraordinary humanitarian crisis. that seems to get worse every day. >> reporter: all across japan today, people bowed their heads and paused observing a minute of silence exactly one week after that awful moment that transformed so many lives. it was a sunny afternoon. 2:46 p.m. a magnitude 9.0 earthquake

rattled people and buildings as far as 1,300 miles away. less than one hour later, tsunami waves up to 33 feet high crashed ashore. and, now, the numbers behind this tragedy keep growing. nearly 6,000 are confirmed dead. almost 500,000 homeless and another 1 million homes without power. survivors without heat in snow and subfreezing temperatures. >> translator: i was at work when the tsunami hit and my husband was at home so he grabbed the dog and stuck it under his arm and just ran. all we have now is our dog. >> reporter: shelters already crowded with the homeless, then swelled with evacuees from the nuclear crisis. all of them living in school gyms and community centers, many of them elderly and struggling with little food, water, or medicine. in kasanuma near the quake's epi center people lined up for hours

for supplies like rice packages and dipers and each person is allowed to purchase no more than ten items. >> translator: i don't know what happened to my daughter or my son. i don't know if they are alive or not. >> reporter: rescue workers still cling to hope that they can find survivors. they have saved more than 15,000 people. but it's believed at least 10,000 remain missing. >> we are still hoping but we don't know. we are still considered to be in rescue mode, but, of course, as the time goes by, chances are less and less. >> reporter: it's also believed as many as 1,300 americans were in northern japan last friday when the quake hit and many families are still waiting for word this morning. chris? >> jeff, thank you very much. the challenges facing humanitarian organizations in japan are enormous of course. joining us from tokyo to talk about that is nan buzard of the american red cross. good morning. >> good morning, chris.

>> it has been a week since the quake. we continue to see these devastating pictures. what would you say is the greatest fe greatest need for the people of japan on the ground there now? >> you're right. it's a staggering disaster. we were up in evacuation centers and mobile clinics yesterday. i think one of the worst things is how cold it is there. there have been very limited fuel deliversry so there is no heat in most of the evacuation centers that we were in and to see elderly people even if they are bundled up in blankets it's still very cold and the kerosene heaters can't fight the cold and one of the worst problems we have right now. >> we talk about the quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis and no one is talking about the cold temperatures there. i could not think of anything worse to combine all of this. how is it all impacting your ability to help serve these people? >> well, the japanese red cross has launched about a hundred million teams to work in these

evacuation centers, but there are logistical challenges of getting people out there and for us the nuclear reactor situation is something that is on the back of our mind. something on the fronted of our mind if we're driving fairly close to it. that is a second evacuated population that is potentially going to have long-term needs as well in terms of potentially new homes and livelihood. the complexity of this for hundreds of thousands of people just cannot be underestimated. >> on a personal note, i know each disaster has its own identity and you have seen your fair share over the years but when you look around and you see what is going on, what thoughts come to mind for you? >> i think what is really striking here is in one of the most developed, wealthy disaster prepared nations, people are absolutely stunned. when we talked to local officials and people who are in these centers, they prepared all of their lives for tsunamis and earthquakes but they didn't prepare for this.

they are upside down in how they feel about this and i think that is what is shocking to us is to see how completely dazed and overwhelmed the population is. it's painful to see. it's painful to see not only their grief, but their fear. >> nan buzard thank you for taking the time and doing what you're doing out there. we wish you the very best. >> thanks, chris. coming up next a designer drug legally bought online leaves one teenager dead and ten people in the hospital currently. we're going to look at 2ce and what is it and what it can do to you. this is "the early show" on cbs. just need to refill my walgreens prescription. [ shouting in native language ] i don't know what he's saying right now. he says you're gonna get frostbite in under 30 seconds. won't take me that long. honey, is this really necessary? it'll bug me if i wait. [ female announcer ] walgreens free mobile app. refill by scan. receive a text when it's ready. we're good. wanna call anyone or anything? your mom? a little more altitude... a little less attitude. [ female announcer ] download the free walgreens mobile app

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all for only 8 bucks a month from netflix. that's so cute, it's stupid. spri a spring break party turned deadly in blaine, minnesota because of a mass overdose. police say a dozen overdosed on a designer drug called 2ce and causes hallucinations. trevor robinson died and the drug was obtained legally over the internet. dr. jennifer ashton is here to explain what the drug is and what it does to the body. first of all, it's really hard to keep track of i know for

parents and for the government of these designer drugs like 2ce. what does it do? >> part of the reason it's so dangerous this is part of a class of drugs known as has lou has louis that genic drugs. it works as a stimulant and increase body temperature and can, as you said, cause has lugs nati hallucinations. part of this family is designated by the dea as a controlled substance and other parts are not. it is accessible online' people can be lulled into a false sense of security looking thinking if i can get it on the internet it must be safe. as we can see here, not so. it can be deadly. >> one of the problems just to go back on what you just said it can lull people into a false sense of security because i understand it, they tend to keep taking it because they don't think it's working? >> exactly. two important principles with this class of drug and this one in particular is it has a slow

onset of action. take the drug and not feel the effects right away and stack with other drugs and take more of it or an overdose. the drug has a long half life as we say so it can stay in your system for 12 hours. in the cases of overdose or deaths it affects the heart and affects the kidneys and can increase your body temperature and can be mixed with other drugs and a deadly combination. >> how widespread is this? >> hard to get firm numbers on this. this is part of a concerning trend. ten years ago we saw these drugs used in raved. in medicine we say it only has to happen once. one gej because of this drug is one too many. >> good information and hopefully, keep it from happening this morning. jen, thanks. ahead this morning, five dollars to use the atm? forget it! we're going to tell you how to get your cash for just the cash that you need. we will help you avoid the soaring atm and bank fees this

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this morning's "moneywatch," rising atm fees. atms generated more than $7 billion in fees last year alone. and surcharges are up more than 5% since 2009. some banks now charge $5 for each transaction. if you're not happy with that, cbs news business and economics correspondent rebecca jarvis has some advice for you. $5? crazy. >> yeah, it is crazy. but it's in reaction to rising regulations. the banks say, listen, we're losing sales as a result of increasing regulations, we need to raise fees on our customers. you have 425,000 atms in this country, and banks see that as an opportunity to make more money. though the fees do vary widely. >> let's talk about those fees. because we mentioned $5 in some. but for the norm, that's out there, where do we see the whole range? >> they're all over the place. jpmorgan chase, for example, has just rolled out this new program where they're going to charge

noncustomers in texas and illinois as much as $4 to $5 per transaction. that's on noncustomers. td bank at the other side of things, they used to let customers use other bank atms for free. now they're charging them $2 for every transaction. and pnc used to actually reimburse customers when they used another bank's atm. now they're going to take that away. they're stopping with those reimbursements. >> when you use an atm that's not run by your bank, where are all these fees going? >> actually they're going to help the bottom line of these banks and the banks are all trying to make money. and keep in mind you can be hit with a double whammy. you can be charged by a nonbank that you don't deal with and charged by your own bank because you're using a nonbank that you don't deal with. >> is there any way of getting around this? >> there are plenty of ways, the first one is every single time you use the atm you're going to get that prompt for do you want to proceed, if you proceed you're going to spend this amount of money. one of the best things to do, and it will cut back on time and make life more efficient is get

the cash back with purchase. every time you swipe your debit card you're entitled in many cases to get a cash back. you can do that. there's an all-point app, a mobile app that will let you find free atms in your area. in addition to that you can use a bank with a national network. if you have a bank that has a national network with more atms, you're less likely to pay more money. and lastly consider an online checking account. because online checking in many cases, when you don't have a brick and mortar bank they're going to let you be reimbursed for a number of atm fees. >> basically banks know that they've got you. >> they know that they've got you. and everyone is doing it so there's no competition for not doing it. >> you need money, it's not like you can just walk out and not pay for it. if you need money you need money. >> you do. >> rebecca, thank you. stay with us. we'll be right back. you're watching "the early show" we'll be right back. you're watching "the early show" here on cbs. ct talking ision ] hola padre. hola. [ male announcer ] you do everything so they're at their best. so start their big days with the incredible protein. eggs.

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a man has been sentenced to "25 years and good morning, everyone. 7:55. let's take a peek at some of the headlines here at cbs 5. i'm frank mallicoat. a man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in connection with a 2008 murder of los gatos businessman mark akhile. miguel shy dez was considered a middleman in the murder-for- hire case. paul garcia, who masterminded the killing, has yet to be sentenced until the case. and the district attorney's office will drop about a dozen cases involving arrests by contra costa county central narcotics task force. a former commander of the task force facing felony drug charges for conspiring with a former private investigatory sell stolen drug evidence. and more rain is expected in the monterey bay area as caltrans assesses a collapsed

section of highway 1. a two- mile stretch of the scenic highway near big sur will be closed for at least a month. it will take a long time just to put a temporary repair there after that road as you can see gave way in a big way earlier this week. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,

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good morning. friday light still across the bay area. let's go live towards the bay bridge toll plaza. really not too bad, just backed up to the very end of the parking lot. these wind advisories, though, they still continue to come n new one just issued for the bay bridge. most bridges right now do have a wind advisory including the san mateo, dumbarton, richmond/san rafael bridge. here's a live look at 880 through oakland where you can see it's a quick trip past the coliseum. fine to oakland. traffic moving well out of downtown san jose. lawrence has the forecast. >> prepare for more rain, folks. we have seen showers around the bay area today already. if you are heading out, the main cold front here it cost. it is right here and it is sliding to the south ever so slowly. north bay starting to be affected. you will see gusty winds, heavy amounts of rainfall as we head in through the late morning hours and into the afternoon. possibility of isolated thunderstorms, showers continuing to tomorrow, more heavy rain towards sunday.

look at that green! welcome back to "the early show." top of the hour. gorgeous green grass in central park. bright blue water in the hudson. this is a glorious day, and i hope it is just as beautiful where you are today. >> transformed overnight. was that astroturf? i mean really overnight. >> so many people haven't seen grass in months, it does exist. >> welcome back to "the early show." erica hill, i'm chris wragge. an honor student is hit by online sexual harassment. this young woman is fighting back even after authorities told her there's no way to prosecute

the man who did this to her. even though they know what it is. it happens quite a bit. >> it's scary how often it happens but great to see somebody sticking up for themselves. also ahead this morning, we're one month into the erica hill experiment. i am working out, trying to eat right, attempting to sleep more than 20 minutes a night, and learning things like all vegetables are not created equal. so we're going to take a look at we check this morning with myself and my fans to see how i'm doing as i try to incorporate all of the experts' health advice to see if we can live by those daily guidelines. a lot of you are trying it at home as well, so see how you're doing. >> i love when you were boxing that, that said fists of furry on the back of it. let's get over to jeff glor at the news desk. >> last time i was at the hill household it was super bowl sunday and we were eating things

that weren't very good. >> actually it was very healthy. this morning japan raised the severity level of the nuclear crisis. the level went to 5 from 4. that's on a scale of 7, putting it on par with the three mile island incident in 1979. engineers hope to restore power to the cooling units of at least two of the crippled reactors by today. smoke continues to rise from one of the reactors. this morning a u.n. diplomat watching radiation levels says radioactive fallout has reached southern california but first readings are in his words about a billion times beneath levels that would be health threatening. this morning daniel poneman told chris u.s. officials are watching they closely. >> we are continuously monitoring the situation. we have monitors in the u.s. the epa administers. we have been sending flights over japan to monitor the situation there. rest assured that as any new data comes in, we'll be analyzing it. >> also for the first time since

the quake, a u.s. car company will stop production in america. general motors says it will shut down its plant in louisiana next week because it can't get parts from japan. this morning libya announced it is stopping military operations against rebel forces. the libyan foreign minister said the government declared a cease fire, he says, to protect libyan citizens. earlier libya closed its airspace to all traffic. that follows yesterday's vote by the u.n. security council to take, quote, all necessary measures, including a no-fly zone, to protect libyan citizens. the resolution also includes a naval blockade at the parts of libya under gadhafi's control as well as the delivery of supplies to rebel-held territory in the east. "the new york times" reports four of its missing journalists missing in libya since tuesday are being freed today. they were taken into custody by gadhafi's forces and the libyan leader's son promised in a tv interview that they will be released. at least 30 people were killed in yemen this morning. security forces opened fire

during an anti-government demonstration in the capital. the attack came after morning prayers today. at least a hundred others were injured. haiti's former president, jean-bertrand airs teed is flying home after seven years in exile. he has just arrived back in haiti this morning. returning after seven long years in exile. now back over to chris and erica, guys. >> thank you very much. we want to head straight out to central park, which is where we find marisol castro with another check of the weather on this beautiful friday morning. >> three of you have a lot of pep in your step, as do so many people here in central park. folks are running in tank tops. expected high today in new york

>> this weather report this weather report sponsored by dodge. dodge, never neutral. >> thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now back over to chris and erica. just ahead, four weeks into the erica hill experiment, i may have found the key to a healthier life. i'm going to tell you what it is when we come back. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. iis when we come back. you're watching "the early show" on cbs.

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follow the recommended daily goals for life has not been without its share of skepticism. >> are we trying to eat healthy? >> we're not pretending, we do eat healthy. >> mainly from my husband, david, and 4-year-old son, weston. >> weston, do we eat healthy? >> no. >> that's not true, you two. >> but the fact is, in order to follow this program, i have to make my family part of it. >> i'll have leftover macaroni and cheese. >> from diet to the right amount of exercise. three health and wellness experts are monitoring my plan, helping me try to get the daily recommended doses of eight hours of sleep, a diet of the government's food pyramid and 30 minutes of exercise. working out an hour a day three days a week is my fitness goal, but it's been a struggle to make it a routine. >> week two she fell off. by week three and week four, she's right where i want her to be. >> having these workouts really makes me want to do it more.

whenever i get on a regular workout regimen, it makes you feel good. you sleep a little bit better, you feel better about yourself. when i feel tired, i've gotten better about going to bed. i don't know that i'm feeling more rested, although i do feel that the sleep i'm getting is deeper. the other thing that we worked on a lot was variety. variety in my diet, getting new different vegetables because it's very easy to get stuck in a rut. i was really trying to target greens that would offer as much bang for your buck as you could get in terms of nutrients. >> the queen of all greens, i think, is kale. >> i'm just turning this down a little bit. >> we made a hearty vegetable soup, mushroom ragu, spanish style. it's made with spinach, pine nuts and raisins. we created three meals in a little over an hour.

>> i can now schedule in an hour or two on a sunday. >> add the rest of the chicken stock -- >> to cook ahead for the week. then i know i have a healthy dinner ready to go. >> hi. vegetable soup. >> best of all, these dishes were tasty enough to convince my toughest critics. >> good. >> that this erica hill experiment isn't so bad after all. >> how's your pasta? >> it's very good. >> do you want more? >> so we want to bring up the erica hill leaderboard to see how i'm measuring up this week. i'm trying to get more sleep. i'm never going to get eight hours. i'm aiming for six each night. nine servings of fruits and vegetables and 30 minutes of exercise every day. two out of three i would like to say probably ain't half bad. i did get all my workouts in, my vegetable intake right on target. sleep remains elusive, although i've been getting better sleep, it's been a little deeper and my husband has been helpful. he's turned to me several times and said "go to bed." joining me is medical correspondent dr. jennifer

ashton. one of the things we've really been working on, especially in the cardio exercises that we're doing, that i'm doing with sidney is really keeping my heart rate elevated and working for this target heart rate. why is it important to monitor your heart rate? >> this is really the key to any good fitness program. when you talk about your target heart rate, you have to know what your maximum is. take 220, subtract your age so that puts you around 185 as your maximum. and then anywhere from four to five zones. when you work out, you want to really use all of those zones because they do different things. one of them, which is really a fat burning zone, we call it zone two on this graph, it's shown in pink, that's where you're using most of your energy, about 85% of the calories you burn are coming from fat. so if you're there to lose weight, you want to do a lot of exercise, log in a lot of time in this zone. when you work out at higher heart rate zones, then you're using both anaerobic and aerobic zones so you're working your

heart and lungs in different ways. >> we showed you that cycling class video. what's great is it monitors your heart rate throughout the class. at some points i was up at 98% of our capacity. i know the problem for me is i don't breathe. so when i saw that, i'd regulate my breathing, it brought it back down. what else can you do to regulate? >> well, you're i don't saying a pretty sophisticated heart rate monitor. you can get these anywhere online. they can be as cheap as $50 and go up to $500 or check it yourself. put your fingers into the notch in your neck, feel your carotid artery, hold it about six seconds, add a zero to that and that's your heart rate per minute. when you're in 100% of your zone, you're in the red zone. even an elite athlete can't stay there more than a couple of seconds. those are the bursts. so when you see that you're at 100% of your heart rate, you want to bring it down to sewn two, zone three are and that's when you're going to get different benefits. >> real quickly, vegetables. by go-tos are green beans and

broccoli. we added more kale. why is kale such a super food. >> kale is the super food, packed with antioxidants and really you want to make every bite you put in your mouth count. so kale, you're not going to get more bang for the buck than kale. >> my 4-year-old loves them, kale chips. >> perfect. >> jen, thanks. >> you bet. >> we will see you back next week. if you want more information on our experiment and the experts, including some of the recipes for those healthy dishes amanda and i cooked up, really good stuff, log on to our website at earlyshow.cbsnews.com. just ahead, a high school student stunned to find her name and number on a porn website. she is not taking it sitting down. she's going to join us to tell us what she is doing to protect not only herself but others from online harassment. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. cbs "healthwatch" sponsored by subway. try the steak, egg and cheese and experience bold breakfast flavor. you choose. try an irresistible steak, egg & cheese,

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high school student kelsey a number she didn't recognize. when she asked how the man found her he directed her to a porn website where she saw her name and cell phone number next to a graphic photo of another woman. authorities found the person who posted kelsey's information and so far he's gone unpunished. kelsey upton joins us now along with her dad randy upton. also with us is cyber safety expert parry aftab from stop sieb cyber bullying.org. kelly you got this text message from a number you don't recognize, you did a little investigating and you find out you're on this porn website. what are your initial thoughts when you see that is my name, my cell phone, next to this picture of some other woman? >> i was absolutely terrified. i mean, i didn't know who had

this information. i just -- i had no idea what to think about it, because i was completely concerned about my safety. >> yeah. randy, you have been very diligent about making sure that your daughter is not online. she just got a facebook page a few months ago, doesn't have a whole lot of access to websites and things like that. to see something like this perpetrated when you have been so closely guarding her, how did that make you feel? >> i was devastated. you know, we totally lost our sense of personal safety, because of the fact that we have monitored her facebook, have monitored her myspace, and you know, we're not controlling parents, but she's aware of the fact that there is a threat out there, and when i saw that as a parent we had done everything we could, and then to know that somebody from the outside was able to do this, it terrified me. >> kelsey, you, without naming names you find out who this person is and it's a person that she didn't know. it was a boyfriend of a friend. an ex-boyfriend of a friend of yours.

when you find out that it is a person that is an acquaintance of yours, you must have thought, good heavens why would someone like this do this? >> oh, yeah, i -- we had never had any words exchanged or anything like that. there was absolutely no, i mean, either way there's no justifiable reason. but there's just not even something that i can even think of to give him in his own mind a reason to do something like this. >> one of those things where you just felt tremendously violated that someone would take advantage of you like this? >> oh, yeah, extremely violated. >> is this something that you're going to champion down the line so this doesn't happen to other people like yourself? or basically innocent bystanders as people have kind of maliciously put out there? >> definitely. the fact that he's not being punished, to me, is not right. and i think i don't want this to happen to anybody else, and i want something to happen to him. >> your thoughts? you've been in law enforcement and i know you're quick to pounce on this when you saw that this happened and get to the bottom of this. to find out that this person may

not actually be prosecuted, your thoughts on that? >> you know, i realized when i started looking at this, that the lawmakers have sort of looked down as this is a classic example where the criminal statutes have not kept pace with the internet. i felt helpless to protect my daughter because i expected this individual to be arrested for what he had done, because of the fact that the photograph was so sexually explicit, it was just not a nude image. it's very graphic image. and i expected him to be arrested for that. >> parry, what are some of the laws out there that should protect and safeguard? >> well, there are laws and i'm not sure that we're finished looking. in addition to being executive director of stop cyber bullying i'm an internet and privacy security lawyer. there was a law in 1998 where a young girl in joliet, illinois had been targeted by a maybe who posted online pretending to be her saying i've been having sex with daddy for a long time, i now want new partners, name, address, telephone number. that law was put in place.

had kelsey been a few months younger this man would now be in federal prison because of that law. but i think there are other things we can look at here. it has to stop. and the most important issue we need to remember is innocent kids who do nothing wrong, that was not her picture. this is not sexting, she didn't do anything wrong, she just happened to be a victim of somebody who decided he was going to set her up for sexual attack and harassment. >> now there's a hearing with this young man who was found to be the perpetrator of this act on monday. will you attend the hearing? >> yes. my daughter and i will both be attending the hearing, as we will my wife, and we plan to testify against the individual. >> and do you think that, parry, is there some legal recourse here? >> oh, i think so. >> in the end game? >> this young man is in a school where young men like this don't go. and i think i'll help in any way i can. and kelly's going to be volunteering with us and working with us. so she learned a lot from athinline.org which is mtvs campaign on these issues and stop cyber bullying and we need to get her out there to make sure this never happens again. >> we'll wish you the best.

thank you for coming in and talking with us this morning. be careful. and make sure you keep an eye. right? like you've been doing. all right. thank you all very ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

about a dozen cases related to a drug investigation in contra it is 8:25. time for some news headlines. about a dozen cases related to a drug investigation in contra costa county will be dropped. all of them involve arrests by the county's central narcotics task force. the former commander of that task force now faces felony drug charges for allegedly conspiring to sell stolen drug evidence. a federal judge has ruled prosecutors cannot use 11 voicemail messages against barry bonds in the former slugger's perjury trial. prosecutors say the messages show bonds was suffering from steroid rage. but the judge says the messages are at most marginal. more rain is expected today including in the monterey bay area as caltrans assesses the collapsed section of highway 1. a two-mile stretch of the

scenic highway near big sur already closed for at least a month to make a temporary repair after the road gave way this week. more. traffic and weather right after this. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

wet conditions across the bay area, windy, we are still

doing well. check this out. westbound 580 out of the altamont pass. it's been a hotspot for the past couple of days for your morning ride. not the case this morning. looks great, delay-free right now from 205 towards the dublin interchange. at the bay bridge, we are just starting to see backups now backed up just beyond the first overcrossing. so maybe 10 minutes to get you on the bridge. again, lighter here than we typically see but we have a wind advisory in effect for the bay bridge, san mateo bridge and in fact most of your bridges have got that wind advisory, 880 through oakland, so far looks great towards downtown. that's your traffic. here's lawrence with the forecast. >> storm clouds are making your way across the skies now and we have already seen some showers and it's just beginning to pick up place like petaluma, the main cold front now moving onshore. so bringing them some rain but there's plenty more to come, folks. check this out. there's a wide swath of green and look at the yellow and orange. this is going to pound the bay area in the next few minutes as we'll see them onshore. showers continuing into saturday, more rain come sunday. okay, there we are...

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welcome welcome back to "the early show." a boat house in central park here in new york. probably going to be a little crowded today. >> yes. >> one would think. >> what a beautiful day. >> spring officially arrives on sunday. unofficially it arrives in parts of the country today. it's going to be beautiful here in new york. hopefully you're having a beautiful friday wherever you are right now. coming up here on "the early show," you make sure your kids get their annual physicals, but what about your pets? >> they need it too. >> debbye turner bell is here to walk us through a help checklist for our furry friends just in time for spring. >> that's nellie, i believe. we'll meet nellie later as well. >> bright colors on for spring.

>> everybody is brightening up. also ahead we're making muffins. our good friend, chef marcus samuelsson is here taking breakfast to a whole new level. muffins featuring not just blueberrie blueberries, but zucchini and a savor savory one. let's go back out to marysol who's in central park with another check of the weather for us. you have got the assignment of the morning, i must say. >> i picked the correct straw today, for once. >> you had an advantage, though. >> well, you know, i try. me and the weather gods, we're in sync today. good morning, you guys. good morning everyone at home. spring doesn't get under way until sunday officially, but don't tell that to the folks around here. there are folks walking around in shorts and t-shirts.

tnks thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now over to chris. you know, it's sunny, but it's a little windy, i've got to be honest. >> you've got to get yourself a little hair wrap. pack up that beach chair and get back to the studio. good to see you. successful bargain hunting is more than what products to buy and where. it really matters when you make your purchase. regina lewis is here to show us what to buy this month and what not to buy. good morning, good to see you. so march is a very, very important month. >> i'm going to go out on a limb and guess you did not know it is national frozen food month. >> i knew it was women's history month. i did not know it was frozen food month. >> proving there's a trade industry for everything. national frozen foods on sale, all of the manufacturers. it makes perfect sense from a timing perspective. they know local produce will be more widely available, people will be starting their own gardens so they want you to stock up. if you use the coupons as part of this campaign, you're looking

at 50% off. so it is worth stocking up. >> if you love frozen vegetables, march is your month. let's talk about some china here. >> well, the sweet spot between holidays where people tend to buy things like this because they're entertaining and wedding season, so you're right in between that. that's good news from a discount perspective. you're looking at about 40% off on china. right next door we have flatware, a traditional wedding gift, 50% off. again, all about being in that timing window. >> never would have thought about it but yeah, good deals, especially for weddings, like you mentioned. there's a lot of deals on trips, especially now. you can get decent airfare and lodging locations. you always need luggage, no matter where you go. >> you always need luggage. the thing about that is it lasts for years, so why mistime this. mistiming it means buying into the next wave so spring and summer luggage fashion. what do you care, you're going to be using it the next three years all season. so buy now and you'll get the tail end of the winter luggage but you'll get it at 55% at

places like kohl's. i say go for it. >> it's a necessity, you do need to buy it. you may as well get good luggage and make it last a couple of years. gardening. i guess i figured why would gardening stuff be inexpensive now because people are starting up again. >> the fact that it's early in the game, they want to get you hooked, if you will. plus if you are a small mom and pop landscaping store, you haven't sold anything since you sold your last christmas tree so you are really chomping at the bit to get people to buy seeds, soil, hoses, the necessities and unless you have a green thumb you'll be back. who knows if you'll make it or not first round. >> winter sports. what doesn't need a pair of skates right now? >> well, i know, but i'll tell you what. at 50% off big ticket items like skates and skis and snowboards which are widely available, you're talking about hundreds of dollars in many cases. so think ahead if you've got kids. plan ahead and buy the next size up. >> the nice part is spring skiing is really popular. i have not had an opportunity to

ski this winter. i do have a trip in a couple of weeks i'm thinking about making. it's not just about skates and skis, it's also about -- >> the tickets. >> the tickets. >> amazing. right now as the weather warms, people don't have skiing on the mind. but because they manufacture snow a lot of places are still open. higher altitudes, you could see all the way to fourth of july, i did it last year. you're looking at 50% tickets. go to ski.com. they have got a lot of specials there. >> you say there's a couple of things you want to stay away from in march. >> i'm glad you asked about this. one is spring fashion, so flip-flops, tank shots, those kinds of things. when the weather really warms up consistently in april, that's when they'll go on sale. the second, a really important one. you get the urge right now for home improvement. it woarms up, you've got that bug. major appliances go on sale in september, october before new models kick in for 2012. so wait till the fall.

wait till the fall, don't buy them now. >> regina lewis, thank you very much. good to see you. >> there you have. this portion of "the early show" sponsored by purina, your pet, our passion. one lucky dog out for a spring run this morning. spring is, of course, a great time for maintenance on your homes and cars, but don't forget about your pets. cbs news correspondent and our resident veterinarian, dr. debbye turner bell here with a health checklist for our furry friends this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> we think about, you know, you bring your kids to the doctor every year for a checkup, but you also need to make sure your dog, your cat gets there once a year as well. >> at least once a year. mainly it's because there are diseases and issues that if they're caught early, they're really simple to solve and less expensive. so if your animal goes in to see their veterinarian at least once a year, that gives the veterinarian to check diseases like diabetes or hormone imbalances or even obesity that leads to diabetes and nip it in

the bud. >> and especially the age. they age a lot quicker than humans. so we need to do that once a year. also in terms of our dog's health, spring is a good time for a little checkup. any reason why spring? >> i just like to market because it's usually when more activity is going on. when we get ready for the summer, summer gets very, very busy and sometimes busy families neglect their pets. so spring is a good time. get them in, get their health checked. also have them checked for heartworms and put them on heartworm preventative and treat them for fleas. that way when you get into the busy summer months, you don't have to squeeze it in between the family vacation. >> i like it. another important aspect, we do spring cleaning in our house, we might do spring cleaning on our pets. grooming is very what do we need to pay attention to. >> pay attention to the things that lead to diabetes. i have cally here, absolutely gorgeous, right? you as an owner can lift your dog's ears and take a look inside the ear. if you look in there you see how

pink that is? it's not red, it's not dirty. if you sniff, you don't smell anything. if the ear is reddened, dirty and smell something, there's something going on. take them to the veterinarian. but you can clean your dog's ears. you get a solution made for the ear, wet it on a caugotton ball. buy it at the pet store or talk tower veterinarian. if you're an expert you can squirt it in there, but for the novice, soak the cotton ball down, stick it right in there, smush it around a little bit. just the external ear. you don't want to go -- actually their ear canal goes straight down and straight in. but you smush it around a little bit, wipe out any debris. usually she's used to this, she gets groomed regularly and, boom, the ears stay clean. that's important to do. you also want to check their teeth. now i -- of course i talk about it all the time, you should brush your dog's teeth between professional cleaning. you don't have to open their mouth, just lift the lip.

aren't those beautiful teeth? the gums should be pink, not red. they shouldn't be putrid. the white -- the teeth should be really white, not yellow, not green, not black. now here's the thing. bad teeth leads to bad gums. gum disease leads to heart disease. >> we talked about this before, if their teeth or gums are not in good shape, it can clog up some of their glands? >> in the sinuses, that's right. they can get infections and need a root canal just like we do. it's important keep your dog's teeth clean as they age. >> i'm going to bring in our next friend here. >> thank you so much, she was perfect. now we have cornell who's bringing in nellie. nellie, do you recognize this breed of dog? >> nellie looks like bo obama. >> yes, yes, this is a portuguese water dog. sit, sit, will you go all the way down? excellent. it's also important to keep the feet clipped, the nails clipped.

>> i'm sure a lot of people experience their dogs have black nails so cutting them and knowing where the quick is can be tough. >> that is tough. i'm going to pull back nellie's hair so you can see the nails. they are black and that's why it's important in this case maybe to have the nails clipped professionally because they have a lot of blood supply, a lot of nerve supply and you don't want to clip into it. there's a couple of different types of clippers. there is the guillotine type, which is really good. it helps with control. there's also a scissor type some people prefer that you can use and it clamps down over the nail. you just want to be very careful not to cut into the quick. >> which is like their cuticle? >> well, it's like our blood supply that goes all the way out to the tip of ours. so it's the pink part. so you want to do just a little bit at a time. you just want to cut the nail enough so it's up off the ground when they plant their foot and that's all. just a little bit to take the tip off. >> we can do that. now, with all the spring

cleaning that we're doing around the house, one thing you need to be careful about is a lot of those chemicals, hazardous to your pets, and that's the last thing we want to have happen. >> almost any chemical that you use in the spring can be detrimental if not fatal to your pet. so things like coolant, antifreeze that can cause kidney shutdown. paint thinner if you're painting or even scraping the paint. >> fertilizer. >> fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, all those things you're using to get your garden and lawn ready. keep them in a locked cabinet or a high shelf where your pets cannot get into it. some of it tastes good to them and some of them they just get into out of curiosity, so you really need to keep those away from your pet. >> and if something does happen to your pet, we have poison control for humans, is there poison control for pets? >> call 1-888-ani-help. just be sure to have your credit card because we don't have a fee and make sure you know what the animal got into and how much and they can help you with what to

do. that's important to have with your emergency numbers that you have for everybody else on the family. >> and your vet on speed dial too. dr. debbye turner bell, thank you. you can find a spring health checklist for your pets on our website. chris, over to you. >> nice job. you guys did well. come on over here for a muffin. >> okay. >> you know the muffin man? he's here this morning. this morning chef marcus samu s samuelss samuelsson, author of the "new american table." you're making a little muffin magic for us this morning. great to see you as always. >> how are you? >> really good. so many options for muffins and they're not just for breakfast. >> and they're just not -- snacks, we all eat snacks. they can be breakfast but also for after school. it's important to have something a little healthier and also utilize many in different ways. we're going to do a classic blueberry muffin. you want to have your dry ingredients and your wet ingredients. >> keep them separate.

>> you're in charge of the wet ingredients. i've got some flower and some sugar, baking powder and then a hint of salt. so i'm going to stir this and then you can put the canola oil. >> i've got one egg, right? >> yeah. and then we have some buttermilk. it gives a nice, tangy, sour flavoring to the muffins. and then blueberry. you know what, it can be very seasonal here. in a couple of weeks, we're going to get great rhubarbs. so you can put that in. you can put, you know, further in the summer put strawberries and rhubarb together so you can make them really, really seasonal. so then you pour that in here. you are the new muffin man, chris. i think you just took my job. >> no, no, no. you need any help over at the red rooster, give me a call. >> yes, i can see that. just stir that in. and this is the great thing. you can do it with kids as well. actually i started cooking with stuff like this, making -- were

you a young cook at home? >> no. and i think it shows every time i'm here in the kitchen. i am a total liability, you have no idea. >> i know what you lyike, you like grilling. >> yes. >> and you can grill muffins also. >> we'll have you back on monday and we'll grill some muffins. we're making a lot of muffins here. >> we are, because erica and the whole crew is coming over. this is the first time you and i cook for her. normally she cooks for us. >> we know how that turns out. >> it turns out beautifully. >> very good. you can put all of that in -- put that in there. >> little scooper? >> yeah. >> how much? >> that's a little bit too much. there you go, perfect. excellent. there you go. perfect. >> have a little faith. >> afterwards we'll have a little kiosk where we sell biscuits and muffins, i think you should come up and work with us. as chris is doing that, i'm

going to do this next muffin. these are spinach muffins with a little cheddar cheese and pine nuts. you can put flax seeds in. >> that sounds like a much healthier version. >> it's a savory one. a little baking powder, baking soda, i have some chili and some spices to make it nice and spicy, salt, mix that as well. with muffins, you don't want to overmix them. that's perfect, that's perfect. i've got a little bit of butter here, some spinach. and that can be -- you know, in spring it can be all this wonderful -- >> the nice part about it, there's so many options. it's really based on personal preference. but there's really nothing that would probably taste bad as long as you like it. >> absolutely. >> while you're mixing over there, we've got our muffins ready for the oven so i'm going to pop them in. >> yes. i think this recipe is going to be one of your go-to recipes

this summer. >> how long will they be in the oven for? >> about 16, 17 minutes. >> so let's fast forward, 16, 17 minutes later, look at that. >> it's nice, right? >> yeah, good. they smell fantastic. >> and look at these cheddar here. cheddar cheese, spinach. spinach, cheddar cheese, a little bit of flour. again, celebrate spring with this. i remember coming home after school, i got a little buttermilk and crisp breads and biscuits or muffins. i think this is a great snack. you got it right here. >> time to drop them in. what's the deal with the croutons? >> we're going to use everything, right? let's say you have leftovers from next day muffins, you can turn them into wonderful croutons in that spring salad, a asparagus salad. if you're making soup, let's say you have spinach soup and you're

finishing the soup with the wonderful muffin croutons. you just basically take cold muffins that are left over the next day, leftover muffins and you just chop them up, put a little olive oil or butter on a tray. >> let me get a quick bite before we go to commercial. >> no, taste these, those are warm. >> go with the blueberry? >> and the smell here? smell that. you don't smell, you just bite. >> we'll be right back. you stay right there. don't you move. you can find all these muffin recipes on our website, ,,,,,,,,

spring officially begins sunday.

but it sure feels like it in many parts of the country this morning, including in central park here in new york where we're expecting highs in the 70s. even better than our sunny and warm st. patrick's day yesterday. so in keeping with the spirit, "early" show contributor taryn winter brill went out to try to catch a little spring fever, so she headed for, where else, spring street. >> after a long and brutal winter, this manhattan street is finally living up to its name. spring street. what's it like kicking off spring on spring street? >> nothing better than this. >> reporter: although officially still winter, a relatively balmy 65 degrees had folks up and down spring street acting like a new season had already arrived. ♪ spring fever >> welcoming spring on spring street. >> reporter: coats were off. flip-flops were on and people were doing what was unthinkable just the day before. eating outside. is this your first time eating outdoors this season? >> yes, it is. >> reporter: how does it feel? >> fabulous.

>> reporter: it was the first time in months that the weather gave everyone a reason to smile. >> i just feel happy. >> yes, the sunshine makes us happy today. >> my kids and my family, they're all happy. my wife was very happy. and happy to go to work. >> reporter: the sweet spring air put a spring in people's steps. what kind of a mood does it put you in? >> just want to skip, really. just want to skip around. >> reporter: for one memorable afternoon on spring street, hope sprang eternal. are you happy? as visitors experienced the unofficial start of spring and some much-needed relief. >> it's been a long, long, long winter. >> we got it back. welcome home. >> nothing like skipping. i was really surprised to see you skipping to work this morning. skipping right all the way across the park. yeah. marysol, any skippers out there? or just joggers? >> there are joggers. there are two women with their baby strollers. get after it mommies. oh, my goodness!

that's what i'm talking about. >> nice job out there, marysol. >> enjoy the weather this weekend, e,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

headlines... today libya declared an immediate cease- fire. but rebels s good morning. it's 83575. i'm elizabeth wenger with your cbs 5 headlines. today libya declared a cease- fire. but forces say they are shelling two cities. the libyan regime is trying to fend off international intervention after the u.n. authorized a no-fly zone and potential air strikes. today, japan's nuclear safety agency raised the severity rating of the country's nuclear crisis after discovering evidence of a partial meltdown at the plant in fukushima. it is now a level 5 event, suggesting wider consequences beyond the immediate local area. a tiny amount of radioactive fallout from japan has reached southern california. a diplomat with access to u.n.

data says the readings are about a billion times beneath levels that would be health threatening. official in the bay area say all measurements are within normal background levels. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,

good morning. let's go out to mass transit. our roads are pretty slick out there. fortunately we are dealing with friday light conditions so not a whole lot of accidents out there but mass transit is a good option for the ride home because apparently, rain showers are expected all day long and right now we just called and bart, ace, muni and caltrain are all reporting everything on time. let's get a check of your weekend weather forecast. here's lawrence. >> yup. we have a lot of rain out there elizabeth. as a matter of fact, we have a couple of lightning strikes in the past half hour here. it's starting to get going, especially in the north bay. look at that. heavy band of rain making its way down here to bring with it the possibility of more of that lightning strike activity throughout the rest of the bay area rain on and off the better part of the day. looks like a stormy middle of the day into the afternoon. i think rain tapers off to showers later on today but looks like those showers will continue as we head in towards saturday. sunday another storm that's setting itself up could be a good soaker through sunday.

showers likely to continue to monday, maybe a break on tuesday but more rain on wednesday and thursday. ,, introducing the thunderbolt by htc. immense power. scorching speed. the first phone strong enough to run on the fastest, most advanced 4g network in america.